About us

Donate

If you value the work of the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute as we analyze trends in the Charlotte region and the Carolinas, consider a tax-deductible gift to help sustain our operations. We appreciate your support.

Follow the institute

Sign up for weekly newsletter

PlanCharlotte Newsletter

UNCC Urban Institute Newsletter

Email Address *

Laura Simmons

UNC Charlotte Urban Institute

Director of Community Indicators

Biography

Laura serves as the Director of Community Indicators at the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute, where she works to help people find, interpret, and present data. She leads the Institute’s indicator projects including the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Quality of Life Explorer, which provides a wealth of data on neighborhoods across Mecklenburg County, and the Charlotte Regional Indicators, a resource for a variety of data on the region’s 14 counties. She also coordinates the Institute’s mapping and spatial analysis efforts.

Education

Laura holds a masters in geography from UNC Charlotte and a bachelor’s in geography from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN.

Expertise

Laura has expertise in spatial analysis and mapping, data visualization, and applied research focusing on demographic and economic issues.

Just when many demographers were speculating that suburban growth was waning, the latest Census Bureau population estimates show a rebound. In the Charlotte region, for the first time since 2010, adjacent counties' growth rates have leapfrogged Mecklenburg's.

Just when many demographers were speculating that suburban growth was waning, the latest Census Bureau population estimates show a rebound. In the Charlotte region, for the first time since 2010, adjacent counties' growth rates have leapfrogged Mecklenburg's.

Goodwill puts people to work through its chain of retail stores. Whether you want to shop at a Goodwill store or donate items through a donation center or drop-off point, this new interactive map will help you find where to go. (Graphic: UNC Charlotte Urban Institute)

Goodwill puts people to work through its chain of retail stores. Whether you want to shop at a Goodwill store or donate items through a donation center or drop-off point, this new interactive map will help you find where to go. (Graphic: UNC Charlotte Urban Institute)

There are two new resources on Goodwill's Regional Indicators partner page – an interactive map of Goodwill locations and the updated Youth Services Catalog. Explore these resources in an interactive map. (Graphic: UNC Charlotte Urban Institute)

Mecklenburg County is home to one of the largest veteran communities in North Carolina. As one of the Regional Indicators Partners, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont collaborates with the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute to monitor trends among veterans (and other populations Goodwill serves). This article features an infographic that provides a snapshot of the 55,000 veterans living in the county. (Photo: Goodwill)